On Sunday, two people — including a boy, 12 — were killed and 19 others were injured in a horrific crash during the Waukesha Christmas Parade in Wisconsin. According to WSFA in Atlanta, an out-of-control semi-truck plowed into the festive crowd, taking down several people, before colliding with a street pole. According to witness accounts, the driver is believed to have fled the scene of the crash in a vintage red car in an attempt to evade the police, but was later arrested and is facing multiple charges.
The incident prompted a moment of silence in a number of American cities on Monday, including New York and Los Angeles.
As news of the tragedy spread, thousands of people were compelled to pay tribute to the victims and to remember the holiday tradition of the Waukesha Christmas Parade. Trish Ohsberg, the artistic director of the 60-year-old event, was there to see it off, as were nearly 80 members of the region’s “Dancing Grannies.” “We were the first to realize,” Ohsberg said, “we’re going to go over this very somber moment.” The Grannies often parade around 10 a.m. every year, but on Sunday they went out promptly at 6:30, to partake in the festivities and to pay tribute to those affected.
What are the Grannies, you ask? The Dancing Grannies is a popular nonprofit in Waukesha. The organization consists of men and women who keep a busy schedule of bridal parades, holiday festivities, fundraisers, and more. “We’re always at dances, every month, something,” Dorothy Henry, who has been a member of the Grannies for more than a decade, told ABC News.
Read the full story at WSFA.
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